Interlocking railway gate



AHS. 25, 1925,

N. H. MAHTEsIAN INTERLOCKING RAILWAY GATE 5 Sheets..sheet l Filed July 6I-1923 MM. WM.

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Aug. 25. 1925.

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n l s I i l I 1,551,109 N. H. MAHTESIAN INTERLOCKING RAILWAY GATE A Filed July e, 192s 5 sheets-sheet s n mim M Aug. 25. 1925.

N. H. MAHTl-:SIAN

" INTIEIRLOCKINGl RAILWAY GATE s Filed July, 192i',` 5 Sheets-spe 4 attozms Patented Aug. 25, 1925.

UNITED STATES NEB/SES HAROUTIN MAHTESIAN, ,OIF WATERTOWN, NEW YORK.

INTER-LO CKING RAILWAY GATE.

Application filed. July 6, 1923.

To all wiz-0m t may concern:

Be it known that I, Nnnsns HAROUTIN MAHTESIAN, a citizen of the United States, residing at lVatertown, in the county of Jefferson and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Interlocking Railway Gates, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to railway gates and has special reference to gates for closing highway passages across railway tracks, operated electrically by trains passing into and out of predetermined blocks of the railway system.

A further object of the invention is to provide a railway gate of improved mechanical structure wherein and whereby the use of improved mechanical means, a relatively small electrical motor may be employed for operating the device, provision being made foi` initial starting of the motor as a preliminary to the operation of the gate, gaining momentum for the purpose of operating the mechanical elements.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved mechanical structure for operating the gate both opening and closing.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved electrical means for controlling` and operating the gate of the improved mechanical construction above referred to.

lith these and other objects in view, the invention comprises certain novel parts, elements, units, combinations, constructions, connections, interactions, functions and mechanical movements as disclosed in the drawings, together with mechanical, electrical and functional equivalents thereof as will be hereinafter more fully described and claimed.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a view of the mechanical construction in side elevation, parts of the housing and containing structure being broken away to exhibit the machine elements.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the device, parts of the housing, casing and inclosing structure being broken away.

Figure 3 is an enlarged detail view of a part of the structure seen in side elevation.

Figure 1 is an enlarged detail view of a part of the structure seen in top plan, certain parts being broken away.

Serial No. 649,908.

Figure 5 is a View in end elevationV of the motor and brake.

Figure 6 is a View in end elevation of the clutch and clutch mechanisms.

Figure 7 is a fragmentary detail plan view of the gate operated switch.

Figure 8 is a diagrammatic view of the electrical connections and mechanisms.

Figure 9 is a diagrammatic View of the electrical connections controlled from the train.

Like characters of reference indicate corresponding parts throughout the several views.

The improved railway gate which forms the subject matter of this application is adapted to he employed upon or relative to one or more railway tracks as indicated at 10, the number of tracks being immaterial but disclosed in the drawings as a double track system.

The gate is also designed for closing passages across said railway tracks as, for instance, at a highway indicated at 11. The gate proper comprises arms 12 and 13, one of each extending across its adjacent side of the highway, but it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to two arms as distinguished from more should the exigencies of use make an additional number of arms desirable.

As shown, the arm 12 is mounted upon a shaft 14, journaled at 15 in a housing 16 corresponding substantially with the housing ordinarily employed for such gate operation and carrying a counter weight 17 in the usual well known manner.

Extending upwardly within the housing 16 is a shaft 18 having a worm 19 in engagement with the worm gear 20 on the shaft 14.

The shaft 18 extends downwardly to a point lower than the level of the railway track and highway and is provided with a bevel gear 21 intermeshed with a gear 22 carried upon a shaft 23 extending transversely beneath the railway tracks. This shaft 23 is preferably carried in a housing or tubular casing 24 and is provided with a bevel gear 25 intermeshed with a bevel gear 26, carried upon a shaft 27 which extends longitudinally of and preferably, though not necessarily, in parallelism with the railway tracks and also extending through a tubular housing 28.

The other gate arm 13 is likewise carried upon a shaft 29, journaled at 30 in a housing 31, again substantially similar to ordinary gate housings and is provided with a counter weight 32 in the usual well known manner. The shaft 29 is provide-d with a worm gear 33 intergeared with a worm 34 upon a shaft 35 extending downwardly within the housing 31 substantially to the extent of the shaft 18 and provided with a bevel gear 36. This bevel gear 36 is in mesh with a bevel gear 37 carried upon a shaft 38 in alignment with the shaft 27. The shafts 27 and 38 carry respectively clutch faces 39 and 40 and bevel gears 41 and 42 free to rotate upon the shafts 27 and 38. It is obvious that these shafts 27 and 38 may be integral, although integrality forms no part of the present invention. The gears 41 and 42 are intergeared with a bevel gear 43 carried upon a shaft 44, journaled perpendicular to the shafts 27 and y38 and provided with a worm gear 45. The worm gear 45 is driven by a worm 46 carried upon a shaft 47 rigidly secured to the hub 48 of the clutch drum 49.

The shaft 47 is in alignment with the motor shaft 50 which carries, rigidly secured thereto, a crosshead 51, pivoted to which, at 52, are the friction clutch members 53. These friction clutch members 53 are provided with weights 54 (see Fig. 6) adapted to be acted upon by centrifugal force and clutch faces 55, properly proportioned to engage the inner surface of the clutch drum 49.

Mounted upon the motor shaft 50 is a sleeve 56, having a cam notch 57 (see Fig. 4) engaging a pin 58 carried rigidly by the crosshead 51. This sleeve 56 is provided with ears 59 and links 60 connecting these ears 59 with the weights 54 of the clutch, so that, as the clutch members expand under the action of centrifugal force, it tends to rotate the sleeve 56 relative to the crosshead 51 and, by reason of the cam action of the cam 57 engaging against the pin 58 to move this sleeve 56 longitudinally upon the motor shaft 50.

Mounted adjacent the m'otor shaft 50 is a shaft 61 in a housing 62 having bifurcated arms 63 provided with pins 64 engaging in a furrow 65 in the sleeve 56 so that, as the sleeve 56 moves longitudinally upon the motor shaft by reason of such engagement, the shaft 61 is rotated in its journaling. This shaft 61 carries an arm 66, one end of which is spring controlled as indicated at 67 and the opposite end provided with a right angle offset 68 pivotally carrying a pawl 69.

This pawl 69 engages a ratchet wheel 70 carried upon a shaft 71 journaled in any approved Inanner as at 72. Carried also upon this shaft 71 is a pair of cams 73 and 74, keyed as indicated at 75 to slide on said shaft and held yieldingly to their positions respectively by the springs 76 and 77. ntroduced between the cams 73 and 74 is a lever 78 having an extremity as indicated at 79, properly proportioned to be engaged by the contours of the cams as indicated at 80 of the cams 73 and 74. This lever 78 is fulcrumed at 81 and between such fulcrum and the extremity carries a clutch member 82, slidable upon the shaft or shafts 27 and 38 and adapted to engage either of the clutch faces 39 or 40. As shown at Fig. 3, the clutch member 82 is at neutral but it will be understood that the oscillations of the lever 78 by the cams 7 3-7 4 will move said ment ber into engagement with the clutch faces 39-40 alternately from the neutral or normal position and that the springs 7 6-77 yield to prevent breakage and insure smooth action.

This lever 78 also extends upwardly above its fulcrum 81 and is provided with an extremity 83 positioned to be engaged respectively by the pins 84 and 85 carried by the worm gear 33, such engagement taking place at either limit of movement of the gate arm 13.

The extremity 83 also carriesy a cam lug 86 adapted to engage a spring-pressed plunger 87 which in turn carries a finger 88 adapted to engage a lever 89 controlling an electric switch 90, from which said electric switch wires 91 and 92 extend to the electric system to be hereinafter more fully described.

For the purpose of operating the gate structure, a motor, shown conventionally at 93, is provided for driving the motor shaft 50 hereinbefore described and from said shaft 50 actuating the several mechanisme described in detail.

For the purpose of manual actuation, the shaft 35 is provided with a bevel gear 94 engaged by a bevel gear 95 which in turn is actuated by a crank 96. In either type of actuation, either power or manual, a finger 97 is mounted upon the shaft 35 and engages the clapper arm 98 of a bell 99. So that, whenever the shaft 35 is rotated for the actuation of the gate arms, the bell 99 is sounded.

For the purpose of electrically energizing the motor 93, any convenient and approved source of electrical energy is employed, indicated conventionally at 100, and wires 101 and 102 lead from said source to one side of the motor, while wires 103 and 104 lead to a contact 105 with a wire 106 leading from the opposite contact 107 to the opposite side of the motor.

Vhen the contacts 105 and 107 are bridged, current is supplied, therefore, from the source 100 to the motor. To bridge this contact, a star wheel switch 108 is provided having a ratchet 109 with pawl 110 for actuating the same. The pawl 110 is operated by Cfl llO

an arm 111 pivotally connected with the core 112 oi' the solenoid 113, a spring 114 being provided for retracting the arm 111 and pawl 110.

For energizing the solenoid 113, a wire 115 is taken off from the wire 103 and eX- tends to one side of the solenoid. The opposite side of the solenoid is provided with a wire 116 shunted at 117 and 118 to switches 119 and 120 respectively. These switches 119 and 120 are respectively carried upon armatures 121 and 122 oi magnets 123 and 124.

There are also provided other star wheel switches 125 and 126 which, respectively, bridge between the contacts 127 and 128 in the one case, and 129 and 130 in the other case, each of said star wheels carrying ratchets 131 and 132 respectively with pawls 133 and 134 actuated by arms 135 and 136, pivoted to movable cores 137 and 138 of solenoids 139 and 140, springs 141 and 142 being provided for retracting the arms and pawls.

The railway tracks which have been indicated generally as 10 are divided into insulated bloclis, sections 143 and 144 being electrically connected with a wayside magnet 145 which is intended as the outgoing limit of the block of that particular track, while insulated sections 146 and 147 likewise are electrically connected with a magnet 148 at the incoming end of said block. The other track is similarly provided with insulated sections 149 and 150 at the incoming end ot the block electrically connected with the magnet 151 and the outgoing end is provided with insulated sections 152 and 153 electrically connected with the magnet 154.

The magnet 145 is provided with an armature having independent contacts 155 and 156 adapted respectively to engage contacts 157 and 158. The magnet structure at 148 is provided with similar contact members 159, 160, 161 and 162. The magnet structure 151 is provided with similar contact members 163, 164, 165 and 166. The. magnet structure 154 is provided with similar contact members 167, 168, 169 and 17 0.

For actuating these several magnets 145, 148, 151 and 154, some part oi the train, as for instance the engine, is provided with a battery, indicated at Figure 9 as 171, connected by means of wires 172 and 173 with wheels 174 and 175 which may be part of the engine structure or specially designed wheel, for the purpose, properly spaced to make the necessary contact with the several insulated rail sections, being shown in de.- tail at Figure 9 as applied to the magnet structure 145 and the rail sections 143 and 144, it being understood that all of the several wayside magnet structures are similarly actuated.

A train entering the block in the direction indicated by the arrow A, energizes iirst the magnet 151 in the manner heretofore. indicated, attracting the contact members 165 and 166, closing them against the contacts 163 and 164. Current would then tlow from the source 100 to the wire 176, taken oli from the wire 101, through the wire 177, contact 164 and contact 166, wires 178 and 179 to the switch 119, Such switch 119 is closed only when the magnet 123 is de-energized. This magnet 123 is controlled from the star switch 126 by the wire 180 from the contact 129, through the wire 181 connecting directly with the wire 103 and receiving energy from the source 100. The opposite side of the magnet 123 is connected through the wire 182 to the wire 183 which connects with the wir@ 101 and receives energy from the source 100, so that with the contacts 129 and 130 bridged by the star wheel switch 126, the magnet 123 is energized and the circuit broken at the switch 119. When, therefore, a train enters the block as indicated by the arrow A, it finds the switch 119 closed by reason of the fact that the magnet 123 is cle-energized and in this condition current will pass through the switch 119 to energize the solenoid 113, the pawl 110 operating upon the ratchet 109 to rotate the star switch 108 bridging between the contacts 105 and 107. Current is taken, therefore, from the wire 103 through the wire 104 and switch to the wire 106 to the motor, returning through the wire 101 and wire 102 to the source will operate the motor.

This will operate the gate as noted. /Vhen the gate has reached its full limit ot opening movement, the pin 85 will engage against the lever 78 and will throw the clutch 82 into engagement with the clutch 39. A further movement would tend to move the gate in the opposite direction, the movement previous to that time having been by engagement oi the clutch 82 with the face 40.

When the train emerges from the block, it energizes the magnet 154 attracting the armatures 169 and 170. Current, therefore, flows from the wire 101 through the wire 184 to the contact 163, through the armature 165 and wire 185 to the solenoid 139, returning through the wire 186 to the wire 103 and source of energy, energizing the solenoid 139, attracting the core 137 and causing the pawl 133 to rotate the star switch 125 to bridge between the contacts 127 and 128 whereby current will flow to the wire 103, through the wire 187 and wire 188, contacts 128 and 127 and wire 189 to the magnet 124, returning through the wire. 183 to the wire 101 and source of energy, the magnet 144 attracting the armature 122 and breaking the switch 120, whereby current to the solenoid 113 is interrupted and the spring 114 returns the pawl 110 to inoperative position.

When trains enter the block upon the track indicated by the arrow B, the magnets 145 and 148 will be similarly actuated, whereby, even though a train having entered the block on the track A and closed the gates when emerging from the block, a train in the meantime having entered the block on track B will prevent the opening of the gate until a train emerges from this track B and both blocks are clear of trains. For the purpose of prompt stopping of the motor, both upon closing and opening of the gate, the motor shaft is provided with a drum 190, having brake segments 191 pivoted at 192 and a spring 193 employed for the purpose of normally drawing said springs into braking engagement with the drum 190.

For the purpose of separating these brake segments to permit the actuation of the motor, a lever 194 is fulcrumed concentric with the shaft 50 and is provided with links 195 so connected with said lever and the segments that, when the said lever 194 is moved in the direction indicated by the arrow at Figure 5, the brake segments 191 are separated to release the drum 190.

For actuating the brake lever 194, a solenoid 196 is provided having a core 197 pivoted to said lever and is shunted by the wires 19S and 199 from the motor feed wires 102 and 106. lVhen, therefore, current is supplied for energizing the motor, the solenoid 196 is likewise energized to move the core 197 in the direction indicated to release the brake drum 190.

As the pawl 69 is actuated by the lever 66 at each driving movement of the motor, it is obvious that by reason of this engagement with the ratchet 70, the shaft 71 and the cams 73 and 74 will be advanced with a step by step movement whereby the lever 7 8 is alternately moved from the neutral position shown at Fig. 3 to bring the clutch 82 into engagement with the clutch faces 39 and 40 so that this motor may be continuously driven in the same direction, but will reverse the action of the gate by reason of the fact that at each such impulse the direction of drive has been changed by the engagement of the gears 41 or 42 respectively with their respective driving shafts.

lVhat I claim to be new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. A railway gate embodying a movable gate arm, an electric motor fonpactuating the gate arm, a switch for controlling the supply of current to the motor, v`a solenoid` for controlling the actuationA of the switch, a plurality of movable, electrical contact members interposed in the circuit controlling the solenoid, a magnet for each of said controlling contacts, means connecting each of said magnets wth one of the tracks in the block, and electrically controlled locks associated with thev magnets adapted to maintain the circuits established by the actuation of the magnets.

2. rlhe combination with a plurality of railway tracks of a gate associated with said tracks, a motor for actuating said gate, an electric circuit from said motor, a switch controlling the supply of current to the motor, electro magnetic means for controlling the switch, a plurality of contact members interposed in parallel in the circuit controlling the magnetic means, a magnet for each of said controlling contacts, a circuit for each of said magnets including a block of its related track, electro-magnetically operated locks, and connections between said blocks and said locks whereby the presence of a train upon any of the tracks in said block maintains the status of the electromagnetic organization.

3. The combination with a plurality of railway tracks, forming a block, of a movable gate, a motor for actuating the gate, an electric circuit for the motor, an electro-magnetically operated switch for closing and opening the motor circuit, a plurality of controlling contact members arranged in parallel for controlling the switch, a similar number of electro-magnetically operated locks associated with the controlling contacts, said controlling contacts and locks corresponding in number to the tracks in the block, electrical connection whereby the entry of a train upon any track into the block actuates one of the controlling contacts, means whereby the actuation of a controlling contact actuates the motor switch,

means controlled by the movement of the gate for actuating the motor switch when the gate has reached its closed position, means for moving the motor switch when all of the tracks in the block are clear, and a reversing mechanism interposed between the motor and the gate arm translating the continued movement of the motor in one direction into opposite movements of the gate arm.

In testimony whereof I atliX my signature.

NERSES HAROUTIN MAHTESIAN. 

